October Baby Bus - Part 6 - The last bus for the ladies...

[BB3]

Hello all

New antenatal thread for us until the last of us pops xxx

Here's my birth story - sorry it's a bit of an epic...

I had a busy morning on Tuesday - hairdressers and library, and bought a pumpkin so me and DD could have fun carving it out - resigned to the fact that the baby was not going to arrive for a while, despite all the pains and twinges. I decided to stop trying to think about it so much....

Had my sweep booked in for the afternoon - at 40+5, but the mw couldn't reach my cervix to do it properly. I was so disappointed and felt a bit emotional when she booked me in for an induction the following Tuesday, I really wanted it to happen naturally, however the date was 01/11/11 so I thought that would be a lovely birth date.

I had dropped DD off with a friend to look after during my mw app, and called her afterwards - they were at the village park so I went to meet them there. It was 4pm and I was sat chatting to her when I heard and felt a pop and suddenly felt all this water coming flowing out - I was mortified with embarrassment but my friend thought it was so exciting, she's the one that had been on standby for weeks to take DD when I went into labour. Called my DH who was luckily working from home and he came running around the corner holding towels. The feeling was awful - all this water was swishing out and more and more every time I moved - it was hot and sticky and I couldn't believe how much there was.

DH drove us home and I jumped straight in the bath. DD wanted to get in with me, which was lovely ? we hadn?t had a bath together since she was a tiny baby. The cx started very mildly and at 7 min intervals. We called the hospital and they spoke to me - I didn't think there was any reason for panic at this stage but my DH was running round the house sorting everything out. The cx quickly moved to 5 min intervals, then 3 mins and he told me to get out - tens machine on, and he instructed me to get dressed quickly and drove DD round the corner to my friend?s house for dinner. We left straight away when he got back - cx were now 2 mins apart and it was a 30 min drive up to the hospital!!

The trip to the hospital was totally manageable due to me being on the phone the whole time to a very close friend that had been due on the same day as me but had given birth to her baby 2 weeks earlier - she had called me during her labour too. We had been through the whole last 9 months together and wanted each other to know when the time came to give birth. She reassured me that I was doing a good job and was so excited and a bit emotional that my baby was about to arrive too.

We arrived at the hospital at 6:10 and got a parking space right outside the front ? so lucky! I asked for a water birth and was so happy and relieved when the midwife led me to the room where I had given birth to my DD. It was a big room, dimly lit with fairy lights on the ceiling. The mw started adding the liner and filling it up before examining me ? it never got that far though ? the pain was so intense she offered me G&A. I suddenly shouted ?I want to push, I want to push? ? she grabbed a mat and put it down on the sofa at the far end of the big pool room, and pulled me trousers off ? one push and the head came out, 2nd push and the body was out too, just 16 mins after arriving at the hospital ? wow! We hadn?t known the sex and I said I think it?s a boy, I pulled the cord to one side and saw ?It?s a girl!? ? Everyone had been convinced it was a boy but I really wanted another daughter, absolutely delighted ? Madeleine May was here!

Congratulations tulip

Lovely birth story pink at how quick some of these second births are! Might need to move nearer a hospital for next time!

Congratulations Tulip

Great birth story pink, sorry but it did make me smile the mental image of you sitting on a park bench with waters pouring out of you! Sounds like you did fantastically. It just goes to show that the cervix can go from pretty resistant to totally open in a matter of hours

I had some twinges last night and got all excited but nada. Today we're heading out for lunch and a visit to Bodiam Castle, then tomorrow it's my birthday and I'm having a bday lunch with my sister and DH is taking me out for dinner (hmm there is a food theme emerging here ) so actually if you could hang on for a couple of days baby that would be appreciated!

40+8

Wow Cassnstar - that sounded a bit traumatic hope your beautiful big boy's jaundice is settling.

Pink sounds like you had a really good birth experience if a bit too exciting. Hope my first is a little bit like your second delivery! I do want to actually get in the pool.

EDD today! can't wait to meet the wriggler. Feel the size of a house and felt entitled to a mince pie for breakfast:)

Good luck everyone still waiting lets have the last few babies now!

What a nice birth story pinkpainter. I hear you on the embarrassment about the water breaking though. With my DD my waters went at home, no warning. So I'm really scared that I will start off with that this time too, but maybe in a less convenient spot. I'm putting big maternity pads in everytime I go out now, but I know that won't make that much of a difference really.

EDD for me today too but nothing happening yet...

We're going out for a nice Vietnamese meal later, as soon as DD is up from her nap. It's so lovely outside, we can probably sit outside. Can't wait.

Have a nice Sunday all.

40

Lovely birth story pinkpainter. Cassnstar you brave woman. I can only imagine how exhausted you must be after pretty much 3 days. Well done you. Hope your DS is OK and you are getting some rest!

Congratulations Tulip!

Ok here's what I remember of birth story:

Around 8.30pm Tuesday (25th) night I started getting mild ctxs coming every 10 mins or so. They were manageable so went about the evening as normal. Got to around 1am and pains were a lot less manageable but timing very irregular. Decided to call hospital who told me to come in (we estimated pains 5 mins apart) but some longer some much shorter.

Got examined in hospital by a really cold MW she had no sympathy and was really matter of fact! She did examine me (most painful exam I've ever had!) and said she couldn't find my cervix so obviously not far enough on yet. Gave me co-codamol and sent me home.

Got home and mil stayed over in case I needed her again that night, managed to get some sleep between contractions but by around 5.30am pain was unbearable although ctx still really irregular some 2mins apart some as much as 10 mins apart.
Called hospital and got same MW who said that as ctx irregular then to stay at home take paracetamol have breakfast and a bath. (at this point ds getting upset as he can see me in pain.)
I took her advice and hid in bathroom/bedroom so jot to upset ds anymore. Waited till I thought nightshirt would be over at hospital and called back was told to go in.

Arrived at hospital around 8.30am in a lot of pain MW examined me and said that cervix was still really far back but was starting to dilate. She said ctx were irregular because baby was back to back still and 2nd labour so very typical, she managed to "pull cervix down/forward" then gave me a stretch and sweep (v painful) but worth it as ctx got a lot stronger and more regular instantly.

Managed on G&A for around 4 hours before taking diamorphine (twice) spent majority of labour bouncing on ball was examined at 5pm and 7cm dilated. Back onto ball, got urge to push while on ball although didn't recognise it or tell anyone just pushed (still on ball) that push broke water ( around 6pm) MW then asked if I was pushing I said yes se told me to get on bed, I did and 3 pushes later dd was born at 18.09.

She is perfect and couldn't b happier!
Ds is brill with her and v protective I'm so proud of my wonderful children!

hi everyone. finally managed to catch up. congrats to everyone with their new babbas. Eva is just snoring away in my arms now after a feed.

i wish i had read all your birth stories before i had eva, as i think it may have altered the outcome of my birth story and too be truthful i have been a bit awol cos of how they made me feel. i didnt have a particular nice birth as i was on my own and it took them an hour and 10mins to stitch me up and the saddest part was that eva wasnt held much during that time, unlike my other 3 who were all cuddled. just writing this is making me cry now and i dont know if telling my birth story is going to be cathartic or just make me feel worse. i think i will just tell a shorten version rather than the epic story that it is.

started to get cx around noon on wed 19th. after 3 in a row rang dp. decided to wait for a few more before he set off from bath. they were every 12 mins at this point. he set off at 1.45pm. mum took me to hosp but told her to go back with twins and also to meet dd1 from school.

taken into assessment room. never offered labour room, so had no bed. never offered no pain killers or gas and air. initial check showed i was 3cm dilated. left there for over 3 hours with occassional coming and going of midwife and doc came in twice. pain increasing to unbearable levels. doc advised against vbac. suggested i was doubling my risk of rupture of the scar. was 4hours in labour at this point, knew dp was probably still 2hours or more away and just felt like i couldnt do it with no pain relief and no support and was thinking at only 3cm when i came in, it could take forever, so agreed to a c section. another hour before i got one. an hour and 10mins of stitching later and was told dp was waiting outside theatre.

so, nothing horrible happened but not a very happy birth really.

still, she is gorgeous and dp doesnt seem too upset about missing it.

sassy so sorry u didnt get the birth u wanted, ur dd I'm sure will have made up her cuddle quota by now.

If it makes u feel any better I did get immediate skin to skin with dd and she was left o me for over an hour, but I feel her care from the staff at hospital was much worse as a result her poor cord stump was/is huge and it keeps bleeding/weeping as her legs hit it when she kicks. Her measurements and weight were left so long that again they were rushed at best! There were ridiculous mistakes made in my/her notes. I didn't find them till coming home but they put in the notes that I delivered a BOY @ 39+1 when actually she's a GIRL @ 40+9 these are all small things in themselves but makes me wonder if they forgot to do less obvious things as well and I just haven't realised?!

sassy ((hugs)) sorry it didn't go to plan x how is little Eva? If (by the sounds of it) she's a beautiful little girl,full of food and cuddling her mummy then clearly nothing that happened in theatre has affected her one bit! My dh missed birth too (although he was never coming inside theatre) and I think all that matters to them is that you and baby are ok xx im a bit appalled that they left you alone in that room - is that their policy? how is Jacob getting on now?

Edward - boo for evil mw! Have you reported the inaccuracies to the hospital as won't they need to make sure their records are correct too? Does worry you sometimes hey!

hope your both doing ok - and congrats on all the other babies. I'll try and catch up again soon but girls are coming up to 6 weeks and have reached the growth spurt that seems to have turned them into clinging, feeding monkeys that will not be put down, ds is under the weather and I decided to start some decorating projects before it all kicked in so now trying to juggle it all a bit! Ho hum!

Ive told community MW and she just changed it in the book didn't seem concerned.
Mhairi is now sleeping for 2-3 hours between feeds (even at night) woohoo! So I've had around 5 hours sleep tonight not all at once but who cares!

Sorry, haven't been here in aaages. Congratulations to everyone who have given birth since I was last on here. I've been reading and reading and it's great to see the little wonders popping out. And amazing to see how many variations of labour exist. Everyone's is completely different!

Well done one and all!

Our little girl is going to be 4 weeks on Wednesday - we've had good days and bad days and an infection which meant she was in hospital for three days, poor thing. But it's a joy to have her around and getting to know her. Amazing, really.

I've tried uploading a couple of photos of our little 'un on my profile but not having any luck with it!

Hello girls and hello to all the new arrivals! Loving reading the birth stories - especially the 2 hour labours!

Thank you for all your messages about the ceiling. It's all a bit of a nightmare, we've been sleeping at friends' houses since Friday and today's job is to find us alternative accomodation for the next few weeks. I've been onto the insurance company again this morning and I now just have to wait and see what they say - so frustrating. The flat is filthy - and that's after my fabulous parents and in-laws spending all of Friday with me cleaning and sorting while I spent the day on the phone to the insurance companies. I really don't want to stay there just now, sleep is rare enough without being on a sofa bed with DH (who is not a small guy!), but there is NO WAY we could bring a newborn to the flat in the state it is. We live in a one bed flat so every room is dusty and dirty. There is still the huge hole in the ceiling - about the size of a double bed.

I'm trying very hard to stay positive - if the ceiling had fallen two days earlier it would have landed on top of us (we'd just rearranged the furniture to bring the cot in) and if it had fallen down once the baby was here then it would have landed on the baby. When we got out of bed and saw what had happened it was all pretty shocking but when I saw the huge lumps of plaster in the empty cot I nearly threw up. So, trying hard to see that we've been lucky rather than unlucky.

Midwife tomorrow and I think she'll offer me a sweep. Last week I was thinking that I'd definitely have it - anything to bring the baby sooner! - but now I'll wait and see if we actually have a place to live before I try to encourage labour! The wee soul is far safer where it is for now!

Sorry, massive post and all me, me, me!

Good luck to anyone still waiting - fingers crossed one of you have the 7 billionth baby today!!

Congratulations Tulip :)

Yeah for a speedy deliveries.

Pink, glad it all went well.

Edward so pleased for you that DS is so protective of baby too, how lovely :) Very of your 5 hours of sleep, I had 2 - not consecutive :(

Sassy I can see why Eva not being cuddled would make you sad, l think you should be very proud of yourself though for managing the situation on your own. Eva has a lifetime of cuddles ahead of her from you and DP to more than make up for it (and she will remember those cuddles).

Mpops Poppy will be 4 weeks on Wednesday, is your DD going through a growth spurt and feeding lots? (just wondering as they are the same age)

Sorry to vent on here, when it's not baby related, but I'm so frustrated.

The insurance company have just called and they're not going to cover the cost of the ceiling. I can't believe it. They say it's wear and tear, so therefore not covered.

ARGH! No ceililng, no place to live and no money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just starting to catch up (backwards of course)

sassy sorry about yours. If its any consolation I did most of this labour on my own and both births had over an hr of stitching and they weren't even cs's.

MrsH our ceiling did that once, the plasterboard just lost cohesion. If that's the case it isn't a big job, the cleaning of the sticky dust bomb that exploded in every room of the house is better and also repainting of the bedroom. However that part can be done by friends and family. If you happen to be in east essex than I know of a good labourer for the ceiling.

Morning all!
Sassy so sorry you had a bad experience with birth but as BB3 and Cheshire said I'm sure Eva is having loads of cuddles now to make up for it.
MrsH so sorry you're having a tough time with the insurance company and the ceiling, just a relief that no one was hurt.
mpops hope DD is ok now?

MrsH - what's the reason they are giving for wear and tear? I do the pr for an insurance company and there are ways round their decisions not to cover certain things but it will take a few weeks and lots of complaining!

Also what's your excess? Our dining room ceiling collapsed from leaky pipes when ds was 2 days old and while ins company were going to cover the excess was £200 and it cost us £50 in materials plus £80 labour to completely redo. Also was going to take them a month to complete and we did it in a weekend and it was a huge room. Can completely understand why you were freaked though x

Hope everyone is ok - girls are 6 weeks tomorrow and got weighed today - ede now 8-6 (up from 7-4 two weeks ago) and Ayse 8-13 up from 8. Finally ede is catching up with her sister!

Mpops hope dd is all better - Ayse was in hospital with her infection and it is horrible!!

Cheshire, Dorothea went through that growth spurt last week! And so did the two little girls from my NCT class that were born on the same day as yours and mine. It's mad, isn't it? It's better now though, and she sleeps better through the night now. Good luck!

Pebble and BB3, she's much better now, thank you. Her feet are healing. She got a staph infection from her umbilical cord which showed up on her big toes. Awful, awful. Three days of endless worry and seeing her all bandaged up in hospital with the iv antibiotics was enough to push me over the edge... BB3, I'm sorry, I missed your Aysa's adventure. What went wrong? I'm sorry to hear it. Hope she's better now!

oh mpops, I completely missed anything about that, how worrying and stressful for you.

DS is 3 weeks tomorrow and we've not had any surge in feeding yet so still due ours. Mind you I can count on one hand how many 3 hour slots we've had, reckon on average it's every 90mins.

Mpops similar thing - she got an infection in her umbilical cord which resulted in a horrendously fast spreading rash that covered her entire body within a couple of hours of emerging and caused her heart rate to increase. She was in hospital hooked up to lots of machines and monitored and then sent home with antibiotics. Glad d is better it's amazing how they bounce back xx

Hi all,

Sebastian James was born 11am 27th October in Bath (someone else is nearby - is it Sassy?). 7lb 4oz. 34 hours from start of contractions to birth but actual labour about 9 hours.

Got back from hospital yesterday. Full story to follow but he had to have treatment for jaundice so we were in for 4 days. Single room with en suite so not too much hardship. Now we're home the hard part starts!

Congrats to all those I 'missed'.

Congratulations Tally, will he be a Seb? :)